Jul 23, 2008

Halfway there: Lab pays tribute to work done

By ROGER SNODGRASS, Los Alamos Monitor Editor

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s new Rad Lab topped out Tuesday at five stories with a traditional ceremony for the workers involved in the project.

“It’s a long-time tradition in the construction industry, when the building reaches its highest point,” said Rick Holmes, the project division leader for the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement (CMRR) project. “We hung a flag and put up a piñon tree, which means the building was constructed safely and signifies good luck for the occupants.”

Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio and Deputy Director Jan Van Prooyen also offered remarks for the occasion.

Holmes said the ceremony was about the workers whose craft is responsible for the building, primarily steel workers. Also on hand were senior union representatives and steel suppliers and “all the people who touched a project of this type,” he said.

The first and smaller of the two buildings in the CMRR project, the Radiological Laboratory, Utility and Office Building (RLUOB) is now about half finished with facility construction expected to be completed by September 2009.

At that point a two-year period of equipment installation will begin, for glove boxes and a variety of instrumentation to support the building.

The second building is the Nuclear Facility, budgeted at about $2 billion, for which the design phase and equipment planning is proceeding.

The CMRR’s funding has been tugged back and forth between House and Senate appropriators in the last few years. The Senate has supported it while the House has withheld funds.

Without a specific appropriation bill in the last two years, the Senate preference has held sway in the omnibus bills that have provided continuing funding.

The complex is intended to replace the half-century-old Chemistry and Metallurgy Building with some additional capabilities related to the laboratory’s role in manufacturing plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons, also uncertain because of the divided Congress.

Holmes said after the ceremony today that there is enough money to complete construction on the RULAB, but it will need additional funding for the equipment.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this going to increase Mikey's bonus?

Anonymous said...

"Holmes said the ceremony was about the workers whose craft is responsible for the building, primarily steel workers. Also on hand were senior union representatives and steel suppliers and “all the people who touched a project of this type,” he said."

Steelworkers make steel from ore or scrap metal and make strips or shapes that can be cut and welded together to make structural steel building components. IRONWORKERS "hang iron," or put the structural steel parts together on site. Different unions. Totally different work. Wouldn't expect DOE/LANS to know the difference, or care, for that matter.

Anonymous said...

In ancient cultures when a new temple was constructed the community of elders ceremoniously tossed the tribe's leader off the top level for good luck. The leader considered it an honor to be sacraficed for his community in this manner. Why not christen this new temple to nuclear weapons with similar fashion?

Anonymous said...

Nice comment 8:03AM.

You are right.

Anonymous said...

> “We hung a flag and put up a piñon
> tree, which means the building was
> constructed safely and signifies
> good luck for the occupants.”

Nice.
We've given up hope of doing science at the lab, so were just going to operate on superstitions instead.

Anonymous said...

Anyone notice Mikey's safety precautions while at the site. He had no hard hat on, guess he didn't want to mess up his hair.

Of course, Ewoks are known for their exceptionally hard heads and thick skin!

Anonymous said...

Great. We get a building, but no equipment. Does that mean no scientific instruments? Nice work Bechtel.

I guess you still get the fee and the big bonuses even if there is no equipment in the building. Mikey, you've become Rectal.

Anonymous said...

7/24/08 6:33 AM asked ... Is this going to increase Mikey's bonus?

Sure, but not after word gets out about group leaders sending out threatening e-mails to entire TA's. When Staff Relations finds out about the hostile work environment at TA-48, there will be lots of unhappy people at the top. This will most likely hurt Mikey's big bonus ...

Frank Young said...

If someone sends me a copy of this email I'll post it.

Anonymous said...

7/24/08 7:07 PM-- re: Threatening of employees: "This will most likely hurt Mikey's big bonus ..."

No, not likely.

Anonymous said...

There are notably hostile work environments in a number of places lab-wide culturing folks that will go "postal" at some point. Don't be surprised.

Anonymous said...

I happened to see Mike A. and his wife shopping at Best Buy. Mike looked like he had just rolled out of bed, pulled his clothes out of the hamper, stuck a piece of gum in his mouth, and went shopping. It was totally revolting. Since I felt so proud, I left the store.

Anonymous said...

Your point, 9:12? Aren't lab upper managers people just like you and me? Why can't they dress down and go shopping at the same store as you? Sorry but I often go shopping in my 'yard' clothes, ragged pants, dirty T shirt. I am not too proud that I work at LANL and I am not management. Nothing worse than dressing like a tourist in S Fe...

Anonymous said...

If they do not build the CMRR-NF, then the lab will continue the steady downward slide into oblivion of useless futility.

Anonymous said...

11:23 am: "If they do not build the CMRR-NF, then the lab will continue the steady downward slide into oblivion of useless futility."

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the "downward slide" will continue whether it is built or not. A building doesn't prevent "useless futility" without workers or funded programs, both of which will continue to disappear.